UWCL: Damaris Egurrola and OL Lyonnes ready to chase ninth Champions League title

UWCL: Damaris Egurrola and OL Lyonnes ready to chase ninth Champions League title On Wednesday, OL Lyonnes will get their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign underway, and Dutch midfielder Damaris Egurrola hopes the club can make history by winning their ninth European title. The French giants have won the competition a record eight times and reached last season’s final, where they were beaten 4-0 by a clinical Barcelona in Oslo. Despite dominating domestically and winning a treble, the UWCL eluded Jonatan Giráldez’s side, as it has done twice now since they last lifted the trophy in 2022. For Egurrola, that disappointment has only reinforced the importance of another Champions League campaign, with OL Lyonnes determined to go one step further this time and win their first title since the 2021/22 season. “I think everyone knows how special the Champions League is for us, for Lyon. I got to know it since day one when I arrived,” she said. “So every season that we start, we know our objectives, and this year isn’t any less. “So yeah, excited for this first game, Champions League, and of course, looking forward to make a good tournament as we did last year. But of course, we’re missing also that last game that we couldn’t really bring the trophy home.” How many Champions League titles have OL Lyonnes won? Embed from Getty Images OL Lyonnes — often hailed as the ‘Queens of Europe’ — have eight UWCL titles to their name. More impressively, the French side have double the number of European titles of their closest European competitors in Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Barcelona. Now, their domestic dominance last season provided plenty of evidence of their quality, but their defeat to Barcelona in the final ensured their campaign ended without the European trophy they wanted most. However, there’s renewed confidence surrounding the French outfit, with Giráldez entering his second season at the helm. The Spaniard arrived after three silverware-laden seasons with Barcelona, where he won 10 trophies, including two Champions League titles. Giráldez guided Barcelona to European glory in 2022/23, having previously reached the final in his first season in charge. He also oversaw three Liga F titles during his time in Catalonia, underlining the level of experience he brings to an OL Lyonnes side determined to reclaim its place at the peak of European football. Embed from Getty Images Egurrola believes familiarity with the Spaniard’s methods can help OL Lyonnes build on the progress made during his first campaign. “Of course, it helps a lot,” she explained. “I mean, everyone knows the coach he is and what kind of game style we’re also bringing. Yeah, excited for this second year of him. I think we got to know more or less what he wants even better than last season. So yeah, gives a lot to the team also, plenty of confidence.” How are OL Lyonnes doing this season? Embed from Getty Images OL Lyonnes have made an emphatic start to their domestic campaign, sitting top of the Arkema Première Ligue with nine points from three matches. They have scored 22 goals so far, including 7-1 victories over both Fleury and Paris FC before an 8-1 win against Le Havre. These attacking numbers underline the depth of OL Lyonnes’s threat, with goals coming from an impressive nine players rather than relying on one individual. Egurrola believes this has been one of the most encouraging aspects of their season. “I think it’s something very positive to start the league scoring many goals with many different goalscorers. I think that it’s very positive always to combine different players, we’re really happy with that,” she said. “We’ve been working a lot of the offensive part so hopefully we can keep this level up during the whole season. I think it’s very positive for everyone to get that confidence.” However, despite their remarkable goal tally, they haven’t been flawless at the other end. OL Lyonnes have conceded once in each of their three league matches, something Egurrola admits the team wants to improve as the season progresses. “We want to keep a clean sheet every game,” she said. OL Lyonnes embrace the pressure of being ‘favourites’ Embed from Getty Images With eight Champions League titles already in the trophy cabinet, pressure is nothing new for OL Lyonnes. But rather than allowing the expectation to become a burden, Egurrola sees it as part of what makes the competition so important to the club. The midfielder admits there’s pressure attached to representing a club with such a history in the competition, but believes the squad understands what is expected of them. “I think we have enough experienced players in our team. We know how to manage that [pressure]. Of course, it’s something we want to always win,” she said. “I think the Champions League is one of the most important things in Lyon. It has always been. “So, of course everyone wants to bring it home, but from that to being obsessed and losing control, I don’t think we had that problem mainly because we have experienced players and staff also.” Lyon begin their league-phase campaign against Servette before facing Chelsea, Inter, Juventus, Arsenal and BK Häcken. Rather than looking too far ahead, Egurrola remainly firmly focused on taking each match as it comes, with the first challenge arriving in Switzerland. “We’re really excited for the Champions League,” she said. “We’re really excited for this first game. I think it’s always important to also try to show everyone what we want, our desire, and I think we’re ready for that.” Where can I watch the UEFA Women’s Champions League? OL Lyonnes will get their Champions League campaign underway with a trip to Switzerland as they face Servette on Wednesday 23rd September. Kick-off is at 17:45 (BST). Viewers can watch every UWCL match live on  Disney+  as part of existing customer subscriptions. For more information on UWCL viewing rights, follow the UEFA website for guidance. Related articles from Her Football Hub: UWCL: Anna Anvegård and BK Häcken ready to build on Europa Cup triumph ahead of Inter Milan clash UWCL: Verena Hanshaw and Austria Wien ready for ‘massive step’ on Europe’s biggest stage UWCL: Emma Kullberg ready for special BK Häcken reunion as Inter make Champions League history